Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – If it were up to the Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association, the Sangamon County Board would NOT be voting Tuesday night on a proposed three-percent hotel-motel tax that would bankroll the long-discussed expansion of the BOS Center, since state legislation to that end never made it out of the House this past Spring.
Association president Darin Dame tells the WTAX Morning Newswatch it doesn’t like the idea of passing the tax on to visitors, but maybe it’s just coming up too quickly.
“That’s our first question: why the rush? Why are we rushing this through?” said Dame. “We were just informed of (the proposal) a week ago (Monday), and now we’re sitting here wanting to have a vote? Second thing is, why the full three percent? Why three percent for the hotels?”
Dame was suggesting that maybe some lower tax rate would suffice. He says the association feels there’s no guarantee convention business would make a comeback; so at the very least, maybe some sort of feasibility study should be done, and that those who are responsible for the proposal should add things like a potential sunset, especially if certain metrics aren’t met.
“Let’s just say right now an average stay at our hotel is, probably, you’re spending maybe $15 or $20 on tax. This is going to push it up to $26 to $27. And that’s just a normal stay,” said Dame. He suggests at peak times where hotels can charge increased prices, that means taxes are going to go up with it.
The Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association spoke out almost immediately against the tax, raising some of the same concerns.
On Monday, the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority’s board voted in favor of the tax increase, in a special meeting that lasted less than five minutes.
